Five Ways to Save on a Honeymoon

I had to laugh when I saw the title to this piece -- 5 Ways to Save on a Honeymoon. I thought about my honeymoon those many years ago and how saving money was probably the least thing on my mind. ;-)

That said, we went to a cabin in the mountains a few hours drive from home, not a trip around the world, so we weren't spending much money anyway. But for those of you looking to save some money on a high-cost honeymoon (or even a low-cost one), here are some suggestions from Smart Money:

• Book Early
• Seek Favorable Exchange Rates
• Set Up a Honeymoon Registry
• Take Advantage of All-Inclusive Packages
• Skip Popular Destinations

Not bad tips, but here's what I'd suggest instead. It's a BIG money saver:

Go at an off-peak time.

If you get married and go on a honeymoon when other people aren't (i.e. not in May through August), you'll save a small fortune. There will be less competition for everything and as a result, you'll save a ton on everything.

But let's say you HAVE to get married in June because that's when all your family can travel. Why not book a honeymoon for an off-season time (maybe October?) and have a local honeymoon right after your wedding. It will be less stressful and the later "big trip" will give you something to look forward to. Oh, and did I mention you'll save a ton of money by postponing the trip? ;-)

Comments

[Michael]

Good advice. We didn't exactly follow it but I still think we came out ahead. We did book early, which saved us because prices went up. We also followed your advice and went at an off-peak time, but that was mostly because our wedding was after Labor Day! But, we broke some of the rules, because we did go to a popular place (Hawaii) because our heart was set on it, and it was a once in a lifetime thing, and the experience and memories made every penny worth it. As such, they don't have all inclusives. We didn't do a honeymoon registry because we paid for that ourselves and wanted our registry to fulfill other needs as we started our lives together. Exchange rates weren't an issue.

I still feel that we did good, though, and for a couple of reasons. The biggest was that we used a travel agent who specialized in Hawaiian travel. He sat down with us, listened to what we liked, didn't like, what we wanted to do, and came up with a plan that we never would have come with. We did tweak it and made some changes because of price, but his advice gave us access to wonderful events that I wouldn't have found no matter how much time I researched, and he got us good pricing (better than 'retail') for much of it. We also talked to friends and family who had been and gathered advice.

[Big Boy]

On my next honeymoon I plan on staying at the FMF mansion once it is purchased!

[FMF]

Big Boy --

At the rate I'm going, you'll be married waaaaay before I get a new house. ;-)

[MissPinkkate]

Honeymoon registry? No. I find those really tacky (I find any cash-related registries really tacky. If you can't afford your honeymoon, go on a cheaper one.

[tom]

You'd be surprised how many resorts consider the May-August time frame to be OFF-PEAK seasons, especially the ones in the Caribbean. It seems that no one wants to go from Hot to really Hot by the Beach.

[cmadler]

We had a fairly inexpensive honeymoon, which was still the vacation of our dreams. Not seeing the point in travelling south in the middle of the summer, we looked north (from Michigan), and settled on Newfoundland. The exchange rate at the time (6 years ago) was very favorable (about US$.60=CA$1), and Newfoundland is fairly economically depressed. We were able to stay at a couple lovely B&Bs for about US$15/night! Also, living not too far from the border, we drove to Windsor, Ontario, and flew from there. This was not only cheaper than flying through Detroit Metro, but the customs crossing was incredibly fast (in both directions), and the Canadian airports were much nicer. In fact, my wife agrees that flying from Windsor was the third-best decision I've ever made (#2=choosing Newfoundland, #1=marrying her).

[Randy]

I am always looking for a way to save money. But I also believe that there are certain milestone events in one's life where frugality should take a backburner to the experience itself. Unless you're Liz Taylor, you're only going to have one honeymoon, so why not splurge and make the most of it?

Vacations, on the other hand, are a different issue...and I agree with you that it's best to book at off-peak times, when possible. Not only is it less expensive, but it will be less crowded as well.

Best,
Randy

[Jim]

I like the honeymoon registry idea. I don't see it as any different than any other wedding registry. You're just making gift suggestions. And I see no problem whatsoever with cash gifts for weddings. If they're giving cash that will 'chip in' towards a big honeymoon related item then whats the big difference from translating cash into a gift?

I think people should just choose to do what they want for their own wedding and worry less about what others think is 'tacky'.

Jim

[Success Professor]

Very good ideas.

I'll add one more that work for us. Travel to countries where your money goes further. We honeymooned in Thailand where we stayed at a great place for $30 a night, and ate our meals for $3 a night. I would also recommend places like Turkey, or China for great value on a honeymoon.

[Rick]

I would take these ideas to heart, except I currently have no marriage prospects. I don't see it happening anytime soon. Oh well. Carry on...